The Worst Day of the Year
by Caralynne
Summary: Sam and Freddie awkwardly bond over why they both hate Father's Day. Friendship; hints of Seddie if you squint. Set before iOMG.


**So I was watching iParty with Victorious, and I noticed the line where Sam briefly mentions that her father promised to come back, but never did. I've always wondered what the deal was with some of the parents in iCarly – Sam's dad, Freddie's dad, Carly's mom – and this came to me briefly, so I thought I'd write it down. Set sometime before iOMG.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or anything related to it.**

For Sam Puckett, June should have been a happy time. For all intents and purposes, it was. School was ending, summer was coming, and the hot dog man across from Carly's house was now open until midnight, six days a week. And yet there was always that one weekend, that third weekend in June, when June stopped being the best month and became the worst month.

Father's Day following her junior year found Sam sitting alone in the park, working her way through a bucket of meatballs. It was a rare nice day in Seattle, and the park was busy: families strolled down the pathways, while children played noisily on the playground. Sam had fond memories of this park – not only was this the place where she had she pushed Freddie off the swings for the first time, but she and Carly had often come here in middle school. Today, however, she found herself irritated by the laughter and shrieks that surrounded her.

_Why can't I get some peace_? Sam thought grumpily, shoving a meatball into her mouth. She stood up, spun around, and smacked right into a guy walking behind her, nearly dropping her bucket of food.

"Watch it," she snapped at the person, brushing herself off. She checked to make sure she still had her meatballs (fortunately, they were unharmed), and when she glanced up she was surprised to realize that she had walked straight into Freddie Benson.

"Ow," he gasped, massaging his rib, and then, "Sam?" Surprised, he asked the first question that came to his mind: "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just, you know…meat." She gestured vaguely at the bucket and sat back down. "Watch where you're going next time, ya stupid nub."

"My bad," he said, rolling his eyes. He sat down beside her and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Freddie broke the silence.

"Why aren't you over at the Shays'?" he asked. "I thought Carly said something about Spencer needing a model for his new sculpture?"

"I was there earlier," Sam said defensively, "but standing still made me hungry." She paused. "And they're video-chatting with their father," she said in a more even tone, "so I didn't want to interrupt."

Realization dawned on Freddie. "So you came here," he said slowly, eyebrows raised.

They have…good meatballs nearby," she mumbled through a mouthful of beef. She looked down, refusing to meet his eye, and Freddie was struck by how unlike herself she seemed.

They sat in silence for a little bit longer, both watching the happy families in front of them, before Sam groaned again. "Alright, unless these families don't all quit their yapping, I'm outta here as soon as I finish this," she said finally. "All these happy people are making me want to punch something." She turned and stretched, nearly whacking Freddie on the head in the process.

"Do you…want any company?" He asked cautiously. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to offer; as soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew Sam would say no, and probably mock him for assuming that she even wanted his company.

Instead, however, she looked right at him. "I hate Father's Day, okay?" she burst out vehemently. There was another awkward pause as Freddie determined how to adequately respond to this piece of information.

"Is it because of…that thing you said in Los Angeles? You know…that thing about your dad…not coming back when he promised to?" He asked timidly, hoping she wasn't about to hit him. To his surprise, instead of reacting much, she merely shrugged and shuffled her feet.

"I guess," she said finally. After a minute, she continued. "I just…think this day is really stupid, you know? I hate it," she said, and Freddie nodded. He was surprised that Sam was sharing personal information with him, but didn't want her to think he wasn't interested. He had always wondered about Sam's family, although he knew better than to ever give voice to his curiosity since it was a sensitive subject. Still, he was surprised by the anger in her gaze when she finally looked up.

"It's like, he was here and then he wasn't. And Melanie and I were really little so we didn't know what was going on, just that he said he was going to go buy food or beer or something. And then somehow he didn't come back, and it was just us and Mom. So it just kinda bites, you know?"

Freddie nodded. "Yeah, actually, I kinda do know. Father's Day is stupid," he agreed.

Sam looked at him and he continued hesitantly: "You know…I used to come here a lot. When I was little. So I could see all of the kids playing with their dads, and wonder what it was like." He had rarely vocalized this fact to anyone, but it somehow felt appropriate for the conversation, if not a little uncomfortable. None of them – Carly, Sam, or Freddie – really talked about their absentee parents, and Freddie wasn't sure now was the right time to start. Still, Sam was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

"My dad…he didn't really stick around either when he found out my mom was pregnant. I never met him. That's why I have my mom's last name." He smiled ruefully. "I think that's why my mom is…well, you've met her. She's scared that I'll be all screwed up without a dad and that I'll leave her too. Or something."

Sam nodded. "Your mom is semi-crazy," she agreed.

"I haven't been here for a while, but I usually end up here on Father's Day, wondering what it's like for them," explained Freddie. They were both silent for a little longer, watching the kids play with their parents on the playground.

Finally, Sam broke the silence. "Yeah, well, next time, watch where you're going." But the sentence was half-hearted, her tone lacked its usual venom.

Freddie smiled slightly. "Let's get out of here."

"Finally," said Sam. "I'm still starving and I'm all out of meat. Wanna get a smoothie?"

Freddie jumped up, glad for a change in the conversation. "Sure," he agreed.

"Alright, but I'm broke, so you're paying, Benson." As Sam turned and strode away from the bench, Freddie couldn't help but smile. Some things would never change.

**My first published fic! Score. Let me know what you think!**

**Title was inspired by a recent chapter of popcorn1001's 101 Days of Seddie, which is fabulous, so you should totally check it out.**


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